The Jazzman and the Jokester : Though pale in comparison to the other ‘In Living Color’ cast members, Jim Carrey loves his chosen field.

First, a quiz: What do the following people have in common? President Bill, an arsonist fire marshal, a sex-crazed TV evangelist, a pushy environmentalist, a female weightlifter, Death on vacation, Vanilla Ice on an ego trip, George Bush eating in a restaurant and Pee-Wee Herman?

If you answered that they’ve all been played by the same person, you’re right. That person is none other than comedian Jim Carrey from the Emmy-winning hit “In Living Color,” the Fox Network show where nothing is sacred. Carrey, 30, is easy to recognize--he’s the white guy.

“If you ever see a skit that’s not funny, well, the censor got to it,” Carrey said in a phone interview between takes on the set. Here’s hoping that the censors won’t be following Carrey to Santa Barbara when he does his 45-minute stand-up show to open for Branford Marsalis Saturday night at UC Santa Barbara.

Before “In Living Color” and movie appearances, Carrey was a stand-up comedian. In fact, stand-up is something he has done since he was a teen-ager in Toronto.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to be a comedian,” Carrey said. “When I was a kid I answered this ad to send away for a description of your chosen profession. I chose ‘comedian,’ and they sent me a page-and-a-half printout. Basically it said, ‘Make faces and say funny stuff.’

“Stand-up has always been my first love because you don’t have to clear it with a censor. And then there’s that high you get on stage; there’s nothing like it. It’s like being God; sometimes it’s real hard to go home afterward. It’s sort of like being a doctor saving lives all day, then you go home and your wife tells you to take out the garbage.”

Being a successful comedian is not quite as simple as standing there and telling the funniest joke in the world and then watching everyone die laughing. Sometimes, comedians have to suffer.

“The worst is opening for rock bands,” said Carrey. “One time I opened for this heavy metal band in Canada. I could probably pull it off now, but then, people were yelling at me to ‘Bleep off,’ stuff like that. Then I got hit in the face with a shirt that was saturated with urine and it knocked me back 15 feet.”

In 1981 Carry emulated seemingly half the population of the Western Hemisphere by moving to Los Angeles. He became a regular at the Comedy Store and later toured with Rodney Dangerfield.

In 1984, Carrey starred in the short-lived NBC series “The Duck Factory.” Soon after, he appeared in feature films such as “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “The Dead Pool” and “Earth Girls Are Easy.”

In the latter film Carrey met Damon Wayans (now Homey the Clown). Both played sex-starved aliens. When Wayans’ brother Keenan Ivory Wayans began searching for an ensemble cast for “In Living Color,” Carrey got a call.

Ever since, Carrey has been a favorite for such bizarre characterizations as Fire Marshal Bill, who starts more fires than he prevents, and Vera de Milo, who not only laughs like a horse but looks like one, plus numerous celebrity impersonations. The double-jointed comedian can even do pterodactyls.

“I’ve got a new character coming up--Grandpa Jack McGee,” said the funny guy. “He hasn’t aired yet, but he’s this drunk who’s nice one minute, then nuts the next. Usually, I don’t prepare for a character, I just do it.”

It doesn’t hurt for Carrey’s show to be on Fox, since it’s the network that’s not afraid to go too far. Fox is home to the Bundys in “Married With Children,” “The Simpsons,” “Roc” and the envy of mall mice everywhere, “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Melrose Place.” Yet hilarious Fox shows such as “Get A Life” and “Parker Lewis” somehow got the gong.

“I don’t know how that works. I just know that we try to put out the best stuff we can every week,” said Carrey. “I just try to do something different. I don’t watch everybody else. For example, I don’t have all the Chaplin movies on tape.”

So what plans does Carrey/Bill/Vera/George/et al have for the future?

“Since I did a straight role this year in a movie ‘Doing Time on Maple Drive,’ I’ve been offered everything, so hopefully, I’ll be doing some movies.

“I’ve got some irons in the fire, and I’m just trying to fight off all the women.”

And finally, come 1996, there may be a new ticket on the ballot--Fire Marshal Bill and Vera de Milo.

“They would change the world,” said Carrey. “Let’s save some money, just let that fire burn there . . . “