I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge
| I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge | |
|---|---|
| Genre | music variety show |
| Directed by | Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris |
| Starring |
Jools Holland, Jeffrey Vallance, Wazmo Nariz (1983) |
| Country of origin |
 United States
|
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Jay Boberg, Carl Grasso |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | MTV |
| Original release | March 1983 – September 1987 |
Jools Holland, Jeffrey Vallance, Wazmo Nariz (1983)
I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge was a music program that aired on MTV (US) from March 1983 to September 1987, on the last Sunday of every month. Produced by I.R.S. Records for MTV and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the first year of the show featured a variety of hosts including Jools Holland, Jeffrey Vallance, and Wazmo Nariz before settling on Peter Zaremba, the lead singer of The Fleshtones. Interviews with musicians and performances were videotaped in clubs, recording studios and private homes.
The show was intended to feature performers who might otherwise not be seen on MTV, and carried the earliest appearances on MTV for acts like Madonna, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and R.E.M. In addition, the co-founders of I.R.S., Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg, 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. Copeland later described himself as "the only record company executive ever to have had his own show on MTV".
In 1986 Los Angeles Times critic Terry Atkinson called The Cutting Edge "simply the best program about pop music that we have", with "the most interesting and adventurous new acts".
As it evolved, the program began to produce programs that focused on regional music scenes around the United States, such as in Winston-Salem, Austin, and different neighborhoods around Los Angeles. The 1985 episode filmed in Austin was an important contributor to the brief flourishing of the local "New Sincerity" music scene.
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