For a band that resisted the idea for so long, Metallica sure ended up loving music videos. They just released "Metallica: The Videos 1989-2004." The DVD set features 21 clips, starting with the single "One" and following the band's career straight through to its most recent release, "St. Anger." Here is a few answears Lars gave sfgate.com a few days ago.

Q: You guys were not so into making videos at first. What changed? A: You know what? Nobody wanted to make videos with us. So it wasn't like anybody was going, "Please come make a video for 'Seek and Destroy.' It just didn't seem like we were part of that whole thing in the '80s.

Q: Do you remember the first time you saw Metallica on TV? A: Yeah. I remember when I saw the first video that we did on "Dial MTV" or something, and it was pretty different from the nine other videos that were on there. So at least we got that part right.

Q: Do you have a favorite clip? A: I would say the "One" video has aged pretty well. It still plays pretty unique, so I'm obviously pretty proud of that.

Q: What else do you like? A: "I Disappear" plays pretty good. At least my 8-year-old thinks so, because Tom Cruise is in it.

Q: Tom Cruise was in a Metallica video? A: Yeah. They asked if we would write a song for his movie ("Mission: Impossible II"), so I spent a whole day on the set with him in L.A., met John Woo, saw some of the footage and got the whole treatment, which was very cool. But we never interacted with him in the video. That was all cut together.

Q: Exactly how crazy was he at that time? A: Tom Cruise? He's super cool. He instantly makes you feel like you've known him his entire life. He has that effect on you. I've seen him a couple of times since, and he always remembers my name. Good vibes.

Q: Is there anything you would have personally left off? A: Nah. Looking at the list here, I can't say there are any of these videos that are embarrassing to me. There are some that are a little more experimental and some that make you scratch your chin, but I would say most of this stuff has aged better than I thought. Other than a few somewhat ridiculous haircuts, I'm pretty proud of this collection. I'm getting all misty-eyed.