| I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Cutting Edge |
| Genre | Musicvariety show |
| Directed by | Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | MTV |
| Release | March 1983 (1983-03) – September 1987 (1987-09) |
I.R.S. Records Presents: The Cutting Edge, also known asThe Cutting Edge orIRS'sThe Cutting Edge, is a music program that aired onMTV from March 1983 to September 1987, on the last Sunday of every month. The show was retitledThe Cutting Edge Happy Hour in 1987.
The show was intended to feature performers who might otherwise not be seen on MTV, and featured the earliest appearances on MTV for acts likeMadonna, theRed Hot Chili Peppers andR.E.M.[1] The co-founders of I.R.S.,Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg, also saw the program as an effective promotional tool for I.R.S. recording artists at a time when much of the music industry had not yet perceived the marketing value of music videos.[2] Copeland later described himself as "the only record company executive ever to have had his own show on MTV".[3]
Produced by Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso ofI.R.S. Records for MTV, and directed byJonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris,[4]the first year of the show featured a variety of hosts includingJools Holland,Jeffrey Vallance, andWazmo Nariz, before settling onPeter Zaremba, the lead singer ofthe Fleshtones.[5][user-generated source] Interviews with musicians and performances were videotaped in clubs, recording studios and private homes.
As it evolved, the program began to produce programs that focused on regionalmusic scenes around the United States, such as inWinston-Salem,Austin and different neighborhoods aroundLos Angeles.[6] A 1985 episode filmed in Austin was an important contributor to the brief flourishing of the local "New Sincerity" music scene.[7][8]
Los Angeles Times critic Terry Atkinson, writing in July 1986, calledThe Cutting Edge "simply the best program about pop music that we have", with "the most interesting and adventurous new acts".[9]
After a six-month hiatus, the program returned in June 1987 asThe Cutting Edge Happy Hour directed by C.D.Taylor.[10] The renamed show was videotaped at a single location, the HollywoodHoliday Inn. A June 1987 episode presented a wide range of performers fromFrank Zappa toLadysmith Black Mambazo,[11] but overall, the series became more focused on Southern California bands, and lost popularity before ending by September 1987.[5][user-generated source][dubious –discuss]