Danielle Stampe

About Danielle Stampe

American-born performance artist Danielle Stampe was born in San Diego, California, in 1967. Her parents, Lawrence and Madge, were both native Californians. The family later relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where her father served as a Navy fighter pilot, flying F-14s and frequently deployed on aircraft carriers. Her mother worked as a paralegal. Due to her father’s military career, the family traveled extensively. They often visited him in the Mediterranean, and one of Stampe’s formative experiences was living in Athens, Greece. She later traveled throughout Germany and across the United States, fostering a deep love of travel that has stayed with her throughout her life.

Stampe’s grandparents, who remained in California, played a significant role in her upbringing. She spent summers visiting them, and her grandmother; who died at age 98; remained independent to the end, a quality Stampe deeply admired and inherited.

She attended high school in Virginia Beach and later enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she studied Fine Art. During her time there, she met musician and artist David Brockie, and eventually joined his band GWAR. In the early days, the band toured local venues in Virginia and nearby cities, building a grassroots following. In 1988, GWAR released its debut album Hell-O and began touring the United States.

Stampe remained with GWAR for 17 years. Although she no longer tours full-time, the band still recognizes her as a member. During her tenure, GWAR was nominated for two Grammy Awards and achieved several gold records. The band released approximately 20 albums, 10 long-form videos, and numerous music videos. Stampe served as the group’s dancer, fire performer, and female lead, performing as the character Slymenstra Hymen—a punk rock goddess inspired by a fusion of iconic feminine figures from Medusa to Kali, Marilyn Monroe to the Virgin Mary. Through this character, she explored and reimagined feminine mythologies and archetypes. GWAR toured extensively across the United States and Europe during this time.

Between 1992 and 1995, while still performing with GWAR, Stampe lived in New York City. There, she co-founded the Girly Freak Show alongside performers Ula and Sharka, known as the “Pain-Proof Rubber Girls” from the Coney Island Sideshow. Their first performances took place at the legendary club Jackie 60, later expanding to include dates on Lollapalooza. Although the original members eventually moved on, Stampe continued the project, leading it on three national tours around 1999, when her touring with GWAR had begun to slow. GWAR eventually took a hiatus to reinvent itself, emerging as the "New GWAR" with a restructured lineup, while several founding members moved on to pursue other artistic ventures. Surrounded by immense creativity during her years in the band, Stampe eventually felt the need to evolve artistically.

In 1996, Stampe moved to Los Angeles, though she continued to travel and perform with GWAR for a few more years. She officially left the band following one final tour in 2002, appropriately titled The Bitch Is Back Tour.

Beyond music and performance, Stampe is also an accomplished painter, sculptor, and carpenter. Her time with GWAR provided her with hands-on experience in a wide range of materials and artistic techniques, including latex rubber, fiberglass, RTV, plaster, and mold-making. After her time with GWAR, she was hired by Cirque du Soleil to work on their Orlando production Nubia. She spent a year in Orlando, also working for Disney as a scenic painter.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Stampe continued to develop her alter ego, Miss Electra, and expanded the Girly Freak Show into a touring act alongside Zamora the Torture King. In Florida, she met John Hartly and Ken Harck of the Brothers Grim Sideshow, who were preparing a tented 1890s-style freak show for The Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, produced by the Circus World Museum in Baraboo. Stampe joined as a featured act, performing bullwhip routines, the Miss Spidora illusion, fire breathing and twirling, and an electric chair stunt. She continued working with Brothers Grim for seven years and even toured with them on Ozzfest. Her Miss Electra character became a signature feature of the show, eventually accompanied by her large albino python, Miss Daisy.

The Girly Freak Show remains active. In that capacity, Stampe has performed in Puerto Rico, Austria, France, and Japan. She currently focuses primarily on television appearances, though she still does live shows. Her recent projects include a role in an upcoming horror film. Stampe continues to perform in renowned acts such as Lucha VaVoom (Lucha Libre wrestling and burlesque), The Velvet Hammer, Brothers Grim Sideshow, and Lucky Devil Sideshow.

Her television credits as Miss Electra are extensive, including appearances on Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Guinness World Records, Wild West Tech, MTV, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Good Morning America, VH1, Where Are They Now?, the Mr. Merrick Magic Special in Japan, and multiple Korean television shows.

During downtime from performing, Stampe runs a business called Wrapt in Comfort, focusing on high-end decorative and scenic painting. Nicknamed the “punk rock Martha Stewart” by her peers, she applies her skills to homes, film sets, commercials, and; formerly; rock music videos.

Danielle Stampe's life as an artist is all-encompassing. Every facet of her world reflects her creativity and versatility. She has been descibed thusly: “She dances like an angel, sings like a banshee.”

-- paraphrased from her old website

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