On today's Planet Money, we hit the streets of Manhattan with economist Tim Harford. In his new book, Adapt, Harford argues that success always starts with failure.

Harford takes us on a failure tour of New York. Highlights include a Gutenberg Bible (turns out the Bible business wasn't so good to Gutenberg) and the Woolworth Building (Woolworth's had some great innovations in its day, but eventually got beat by big-box stores).

On Gil Scott-Heron, by Greg Tate. He wasn't jazz. But he was so very much of the blues. More links:

• Multiple sources are reporting the death of pianist Ray Bryant. The composer of "Cubano Chant" played tons of sessions, led a trio (and made many records as a leader) and was uncle to the Eubanks brothers. More when we have it.

Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem is a conductor's dream come true. Few pieces in the repertoire offer the drama of opera and the thrill of wonderful symphonic writing combined with stellar, virtuosic solo moments. But Verdi's Requiem does all that and more.

Good news for politicians who happen to be Mormon like Mitt Romney, the newly announced candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, or Jon Huntsman, who may become one.

Sixty eight percent of Americans say a presidential candidate's Mormon faith is irrelevant to them, according to a Pew Research Center poll.

So many questions, so few answers. Why is Anthony Weiner incapable of making the Twitter story go away? The Republican Party always nominates its frontrunners, but is it premature to give Mitt Romney that title just yet? And how do we decide whether Sarah Palin is the real deal or a sideshow?

In what the BBC calls an "imperious display," Roger Federer ended Novak Djokovic's perfect season and 43-match winning streak at the French Open. Federer now advances to the final on Sunday against Rafael Nadal.

If you're not much of a tennis fan, here's what was at stake in this match for everyone:

Although the new trailer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is breathtaking, there seems no possible way for a studio to avoid watering down the Swedish sadomasochistic snuff noir so it will play in America. In cinema, there is the homage to the past, and there is the wholesale remake or re-imagining of a film.

On June 11, 2007, Fresh Air broadcast a concert and conversation with Los Straitjackets, the Nashville-based indie-rock band that's made a name performing surf-rock classics from behind Mexican wrestling masks.

On today's Fresh Air, excerpts from that interview are being replayed to honor band member Danny Amis, who is recovering from a cancer treatment after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Here's an end of week round-up of recent stories about NPR and its jounalists.

After Liane Hansen bid Weekend Edition adieu last weekend, the Huffington Post offered this tribute to her work

This Saturday, June 4, is the fourth annual Roots Picnic at Festival Pier at Penn's Landing. WXPN, along with Okayplayer, will be streaming the main stage performances starting at 1 p.m. ET.