Quick tip on transforming a tarball into a .deb

[csj <csj@mindgate.net>]

I need to compile some stuff in Debian (available in Debian but three version 
numbers stale). I have already successfully compiled them in Mandrake.

The problem is that the application's various bits and pieces will be 
splattered across my system. While they'll probably wind up in /usr/local, I 
want a more manageable method of installing/deinstalling these files. I'm 
thinking of creating a .deb to "trap" the compilation.

Can someone give me a quick tip on how to do this, convert a tarball into a 
deb in one fell swoop? I'm a bit lazy to RTFM. In Mandrake I simply type 
something like rpm -bb (or is it rpm -tb?) to produce a binary from a 
.src.rpm (I know, not quite a tarball). What's the quick and dirty Debian 
equivalent?