LECTURE—It’s Halloween, so treat yourself to a new level of terror as scruffy philosopher/secret Sound of Music fan Slavoj Žižek brings his runny nose and terrifying killjoy act to town, in a talk titled “Is God Dead, or Unconscious, or Just Evil?” IS THAT A TRICK QUESTION, SLAVOJ ŽIŽEK? Another trick is how easily Žižek makes you feel like a complacent shill for capitalism. Horrors! MEGAN BURBANK
w/Jean-Pierre Dupuy; PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union, 1825 SW Broadway, 5 pm, FREE, all ages
MUSIC—Ash Street Saloon, a necessary rung on Portland’s grimy ladder to punk-rock cred, is planning a deservedly special bash in honor of its 20th birthday this Halloween. It’s a big enough deal that the legendary Fred Cole (Poison Arrows, Dead Moon, etc.) is planning to take the stage—mere months after open-heart surgery took him down. And with the way things are going in Old Town, let’s hope we’re able to still celebrate Ash Street in 20 more years. DENIS C. THERIAULT
w/Fireballs of Freedom, Fred & Toody Cole Unplugged, Fruit of the Legion of Loom, the Ransom; Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash, 9:30 pm, $7