With the exception of the Johnny Cash Show, most of those appearances mentioned were in the mid-to-late 70s. As far as the 60s go, he really wasn't on TV in the U.S. until the very end of the 60s when he made appearances (twice each IIRC) on the Johnny Cash Show and on the Tonight Show.
To Mike, I want to second the advice above. Get the CDs, especially the boxed set. Then sit down and listen closely while reading the liner notes. Reading the lyrics at the same time may help you better interpret the songs. As far as meanings go, I wouldn't expect any hard-and-fast answers. Gord has gone on record many times, whenever he is asked the meaning of a particular song, and he says the true meaning of a song is what the listener makes it out to be. He will tell you topically what a song is about, but he leaves it up to us to form our own impressions. It's almost as if he left many songs vague on purpose...although to him I am sure none of his compositions were purposely vague.
The Drifter
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