Vancouver Curiosity Club!

### 🧠💵 Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography - was he the original self‑improvement influencer?

Short summary
Benjamin Franklin is basically the prototype for “invent yourself.”
He’s funny, ruthless, charming, and weirdly modern - the kind of guy who’d thrive in 2026 as a startup founder, political operator, or productivity guru… depending on how cynical you are.
This meetup is the story version of Franklin, not the statue version: the runaway apprentice, the hunger, the social climbing, the self‑discipline, the reinvention.
We’ll read the Autobiography and pressure-test the myth: is this a guide to freedom… or a guide to performance?

Come even if you. havent read the book but are a fan of the 100$ bill :)
What we’ll explore

• Do you find Franklin inspiring or slightly unbearable? Like… is he building a life, or building a brand?
• The “self-made” question: is this a real recipe anyone could use… or a story that only works if you already have the right luck and temperament?
• Is Franklin honest, or is he writing PR for his own legend? What’s he not telling us - and why?
• Virtue as strategy: when he talks about discipline and improvement, does it feel like moral seriousness… or like a way to win?
• Social climbing without calling it that: what does he seem to believe about reputation, networks, and respect?
• Modern parallel: if a 17-year-old Franklin showed up in Vancouver today with nothing, what would he actually do first?

Reading for this meetup :

https://www.amazon.ca/Autobiography-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1508475091

This is an autobiography written by himself, it is the shortest one out there.

When and where

• 🗓️ Date: March 8th
• 🕒 Time: 1 PM
• 📍 Location: Central Library - Meeting Rooms - L4 North (492) Meeting Room

Cap 12–15 + waitlist
Small room on purpose so it stays conversational.
Optional note
This is Part 1. If the group likes it, we’ll keep going through the Autobiography in future sessions (in clean, manageable chunks).

🎸🗣️ Bob Dylan - poet, prophet, troll, genius? (songs + life + “A Complete Unknown”)

Discussion only - no concert, no screening.
Come even if you’re not a superfan. If you have opinions, you’re qualified.

Short summary
Some artists have fans.
Dylan has arguments.
He’s been treated like a saint, a fraud, a genius, a sellout, a voice of a generation, a guy who can’t sing, and a guy who wrote lines people still steal from in their own heads.
This night is the kickoff of a new Curiosity Club series: musician events where we don’t do “top 10 songs” lists like a Buzzfeed article.
We do something better: we listen like grown-ups and ask what the work of art actually does to people.

We’ll talk about the music, the mask, the myth, and how Dylan somehow stayed culturally radioactive for decades.
And yes - we’ll also talk about the movie A Complete Unknown and what it gets right/wrong about the Dylan myth.
If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at Dylan hype… please come.
If you’ve ever been moved by a Dylan line at 2 AM… also come.

The stuff we’re actually going to get into
- The voice question:
If Dylan had a “pretty” voice, would he be less interesting? Is the roughness a flaw… or the whole point?
- Lyrics vs persona:
Do you think Dylan is sincerely saying something… or constantly performing the act of saying something?
- The mask problem:
Is Dylan private, evasive, dishonest, or just allergic to being owned by the audience?
- Protest / politics / the burden of being a symbol:
When Dylan is political, is it moral clarity… or a song doing a job people demanded it do?
- Reinvention:
Acoustic → electric → country-ish → gospel-ish → late-era bard.
Growth? escape? survival? trolling?
- The movie angle (A Complete Unknown):
Does the film capture Dylan’s inner world… or does it turn him into a clean “biopic hero” shape?
And what’s the most interesting thing a Dylan movie can’t show?
- The modern question:
Could someone like Dylan even happen now, in the algorithm era? Or would the internet crush him into a meme before the art could mature?

How the night will run
- Quick hello + one sentence each:
“What’s your Dylan relationship: fan, skeptic, or complicated?”
- I’ll play short snippets (30–60 seconds) from a few songs to anchor the room
(Not a listening party. Just enough to make the discussion concrete.)
- We’ll do a guided conversation that stays close to actual lines and moments
(No “music theory flexing,” no snobbery, no monologues.)
- Wrap:
“If you had to hand one Dylan song to an alien to explain humans, what do you give them?”

Optional prep :
If you have time before the meetup, pick ONE:
- Listen to 6–8 Dylan songs (any era)
- Or watch "A Complete Unknown"
- Or do both
If you want a starter set (fast and diverse):
- Like a Rolling Stone
- Tangled Up in Blue
- Blowin’ in the Wind
- The Times They Are A-Changin’
- Hurricane
- Not Dark Yet
- Things Have Changed

When and where
📅 Date: Sunday, March 22, 2026
🕒 Time: 12PM- 1:30PM
📍 Location: Central Library - Meeting Rooms - L4 North (492) Meeting Room

Cap 12–15 + waitlist
Small room on purpose so it stays sharp and conversational.
Note
This is a discussion night, not a “Dylan worship” night.
Bring your real take. Bring your favorite line. Bring your annoyance. That’s the fun.

### 🧠🤖 Neon Genesis Evangelion - would you get in the Eva if it broke you?

Discussion only - no screening.

Short summary
On paper, Evangelion is “teen pilots a giant mech to fight monsters.” In reality, it’s a show about loneliness, coercion, identity, and the awful feeling of being needed only when you’re useful.
It’s also one of the few anime where half the room leaves saying “masterpiece” and the other half says “I’m still mad.” Perfect.
This won’t be a lore flex or a trivia night. It’s a compare-notes night: what hit you, what disturbed you, what you think it’s actually saying.
Come even if you watched it years ago - I’ll do a quick reset so nobody feels lost.

What we’ll explore

• The “get in the robot” problem: if you were 14 and your parent basically said “pilot this or people die”… is refusing cowardice, honesty, or sanity?
• Shinji - weak, normal, or brave in a different way? When did you feel sympathy for him, and when did you want to shake him?
• The adults: are Misato/Gendo/NERV protectors… or users? Be honest - who feels most morally disgusting, and who feels tragically human?
• The Angels: are they enemies… or emotional tests wearing monster costumes? Which fight felt like an action scene, and which felt like therapy with explosions?
• Instrumentality: if loneliness could be “solved” by melting everyone into one mind… is that peace, or is that death? And what’s the modern version of that temptation?
• Endings: TV ending vs End of Evangelion - which one felt more truthful to you, and why? (No “correct answer” — just defend your take.)

How we’ll do it

• Quick hello + first round: “What scene is still stuck in your head?” (one sentence each)
• 5-minute reset: versions + what we’re focusing on (so we’re aligned)
• We’ll pick 3–4 anchor moments and argue from the scenes (moments first, theories second)
• Optional wrap: “What do you think Evangelion is really about?” (one sentence)

What to watch (so we’re talking about the same thing)

• Main focus: Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV series)
• If you dont have time to watch the entire TV series, watch these 4 movies, which are a retelling of the story :
• Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone
• Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance
• Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo
• Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time

When and where

• 🗓️ Date: Sunday March 22
• 🕒 Time: 6:00 PM
• 📍 Location: LoveLarte Cafe (https://share.google/PilkPO2CtvD7740Iu)

Cap 12–15 + waitlist
Small room on purpose so it stays a real conversation.

Optional content note
Evangelion gets heavy. Expect themes like depression, coercion, grief, violence.