''I.R.S. Records Presents: The Cutting Edge'', also known as ''The Cutting Edge'' or IRS's ''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. The show was retitled ''The Cutting Edge Happy Hour'' in 1986.

Background

The show was intended to feature performers who might otherwise not be seen on MTV, and featured the earliest appearances on MTV for acts like Madonna, the

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and

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

The co-founders of I.R.S.,

Miles Copeland III Miles Axe Copeland III (born May 2, 1944) is an American music and entertainment executive and former manager of The Police. Copeland later managed Sting's musical and acting career. In 1979, Copeland founded the I.R.S. Records label, producin ...

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. Copeland later described himself as "the only record company executive ever to have had his own show on MTV".

Broadcast history

Produced by Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso of I.R.S. Records for MTV, and directed by

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, the first year of the show featured a variety of hosts including Jools Holland,

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, and Wazmo Nariz, before settling on Peter Zaremba, the lead singer of

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. 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 regional

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around the United States, such as in

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, Austin and different neighborhoods around

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. A 1985 episode filmed in Austin was an important contributor to the brief flourishing of the local "

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" music scene. ''

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'' critic Terry Atkinson, writing in July 1986, called ''The Cutting Edge'' "simply the best program about pop music that we have", with "the most interesting and adventurous new acts". In 1986, the name of the program was changed to ''The Cutting Edge Happy Hour''. The renamed show was videotaped at a single location, the Hollywood

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. A June 1987 episode presented a wide range of performers from Frank Zappa to

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of '' isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album '' Graceland'', and have won ...

, but overall, the series became more focused on Southern California bands, and lost popularity before ending by September 1987.

References

{{Music based programs on MTV I.R.S. Records 1983 American television series debuts 1987 American television series endings 1980s American variety television series 1980s American music television series MTV original programming English-language television shows