This is an init script to run spawn-fcgi and php on Ubuntu. Its adapted from Aaron Schaefer's excellent post on how to run wordpress on nginx - the configuration this site runs on.

fastcgi-php

#!/bin/sh

## BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: FastCGI servers for PHP
# Required-Start: networking
# Required-Stop: networking
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: S 0 1 6
# Short-Description: Start FastCGI servers with PHP.
# Description: Start PHP with spawn-fcgi. For use with nginx and lighttpd.
#
#
### END INIT INFO
#
# Author: Derrick Petzold
#
# http://derrickpetzold.com/index.php/2010/07/02/init-script-fastcgi-php-ubuntu/
#

RUN_USER=nobody
RUN_GROUP=nogroup

LISTEN_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1
LISTEN_PORT=53217

SPAWN_FCGI=/opt/lighttpd/bin/spawn-fcgi
PHP_CGI=/opt/php5/bin/php-cgi
PID_FILE=/var/run/fastcgi-php.pid

d_start() {
    if [ -f $PID_FILE ]; then
      echo -n " already running"
    else
        start-stop-daemon --start -p $PID_FILE \
            --exec /usr/bin/env -- $SPAWN_FCGI -f $PHP_CGI \
            -u $RUN_USER -g $RUN_GROUP -a $LISTEN_ADDRESS -p $LISTEN_PORT \
            -P $PID_FILE
    fi
}

d_stop() {
    start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --pidfile $PID_FILE \
                      || echo -n " not running"
    if [ -f $PID_FILE ]; then
        rm $PID_FILE
    fi
}

case "$1" in
  start)
    echo -n "Starting FastCGI: $0 "
    d_start
    echo "."
    ;;

  stop)
    echo -n "Stopping FastCGI: $0 "
    d_stop
    echo "."
    ;;
  restart)
    echo -n "Restarting FastCGI: $0 "
    d_stop
    sleep 1
    d_start
    ;;
  *)
    echo "usage: $0 {start|stop|restart}"
    ;;
esac
To install it follow the instructions below 
git clone git://gist.github.com/510245.git fastcgi-php.gist
vim fastcgi-php.gist/fastcgi-php # Update with your pathnames
chmod 755 fastcgi-php.gist/fastcgi-php
mv fastcgi-php.gist/fastcgi-php /etc/init.d/
update-rc.d fastcgi-php defaults
/etc/init.d/fastcgi-php start
rm -rf fastcgi-php.gist