The newest issue of Esquire magazine features highlights from interviews with one person from each American state. Naturally I flipped to Indiana first, mostly to find out who the writers and editors of Esquire think best represents my home.

Kurt Vonnegut is the most obvious choice but he’s dead and besides, he spent most of his life finding reasons not to come back here. Michael Jackson no longer resides in this galaxy and even though he was born and raised here, Axl Rose was never really “from” Indiana. John Mellencamp makes a little too much sense – the Coug is a well-worn punch line delivered to travelling Hoosiers, usually by people too hip to admit that “American Fool” and “Scarecrow” stand up to damn near anything any other American songwriter has produced. Politicians? Artists? Nobody I can think of rates. Nobody except Larry Legend.

Larry Bird seemed like a lazy pick at first but it’s actually a little inspired. The Hick from French Lick has traveled the world but remained provincial, made millions of dollars but doesn’t see the sense in spending more than $15 on a haircut. He is in the modern world but not totally of it. If anyone’s going to speak for us, it might as well be Larry Bird, the meta-Hoosier.