I am part native American. I wouldn't call him mean, goofy maybe but not mean. I was stationed in South Dakota in the early 80s and I’ve heard about and listened to Means after that I just had to say WTF!...He is still not a big a lib as that joke, Ward Churchill.
I am part native American also. I think goofy comes from a combination of too much peyote and hanging around with too many leftwingers who tried, and to a large extent, succeeded in hijacking his American Indian Movement.
Russell is actually close kin politically with the anti-tax separatist groups like the Freemen of Montana and Posse Commitatus of the Dakotas. But he is genuinely a nice guy like Willie Nelson. He'd give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it worse.