ERROR: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket

[Kirath]

I've tried googling this error and I've found a lot of hits, but none of the offered solutions have worked. I recently upgraded mysql and other packages, and afterwards I would get this error on trying to start MySQL

mysql Ver 12.22 Distrib 4.0.24, for pc-linux-gnu (i386)

ERROR 2002: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (111)'

Check that mysqld is running and that the socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists!

- mysqld.sock does not exist in the appropriate place in my.cnf or anywhere else on the system.
- MySQL is not running, and will not start with /etc/init.d/mysql start

root@banana:/# /etc/init.d/mysql start
Starting MySQL database server: mysqld...failed.
Please take a look at the syslog.
/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed
error: 'Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (111)'
Check that mysqld is running and that the socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists!


--------syslog--------

Apr 24 11:05:20 banana /etc/init.d/mysql[4987]: 0 processes alive and '/usr/bin/mysqladmin --defaults-file=/etc/mysql/debian.cnf ping' resulted in

Apr 24 11:05:20 banana /etc/init.d/mysql[4987]: ^G/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed

Apr 24 11:05:20 banana /etc/init.d/mysql[4987]: error: 'Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (111)'

Apr 24 11:05:20 banana /etc/init.d/mysql[4987]: Check that mysqld is running and that the socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists!
Apr 24 11:05:20 banana /etc/init.d/mysql[4987]:

------ end syslog -------

This is driving me nuts, does anyone know how I can fix this? Could have upgrading flex broken this?